Did Grandmas Make People Pair Up?

If you are in a special relationship with another person, thank grandma – not just
yours, but all grandmothers since humans evolved.

University of Utah anthropologist Kristen Hawkes is known for the “grandmother hypothesis,”
which credits prehistoric grandmothering for our long human lifespan. Now, Hawkes
has used computer simulations to link grandmothering and longevity to a surplus of
older fertile men and, in turn, to the male tendency to guard a female mate from the
competition and form a “pair bond” with her instead of mating with numerous partners.

“It looks like grandmothering was crucial to the development of pair bonds in humans,”
says Hawkes, senior author of the new study published online in the Sept. 7 edition
of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read the full press
release here: http://unews.utah.edu/did-grandmas-make-people-pair-up/